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The Dog Ate My Baguette

The Dog Ate My Baguette

I have been making a lot of baguettes lately. I had a particularly promising one the other day - took a bite, left the room, came back to find the dog eating it. That's what happens when you make a lot of baguettes, I suppose.

My husband asked me if I was driving myself crazy with making all these baguettes. The answer? No, I'm just trying to learn how to do it. And you have to make a lot to learn. So there it is. And fortunately unlike some of my rye-ier efforts, he actually likes to eat the endless series of practice rounds.

Today's entry? A lower hydration overnight retarded sourdough version. It rolled out a lot longer than I expected - 20 inches - as I did a long rest after the preshape. It surprised me that the shaping was much easier with this long rest and it didn't seem to get overproofed. As my baguette trays are 16 inches long instead of proofing on the tray, I placed it diagonally on a 16 inch sheet seam side down, covered with couche, and supported the sides.

It sang like crazy coming out of the oven and looked ok if a bit mottled - I'm not sure why.

I was thrilled with the taste. My best yet without question. This had exactly the smooth creamy crumb texture that I have been striving for with an absolutely crisp and brittle crust. The sourdough gives it a deep flavor, with not a hint of sour.

Since I rolled it out so thin it had a bit higher ratio of crust to crumb for every bite, than I might have hoped. So at least a shade thicker and shorter next time.

Final

Starter

Total

Baker's %

KAAP

150

42

192

Water

100

28

128

67%

Salt

3

3

1.6%

Starter

70

22%

323

Mix all by hand - a couple minutes

Bulk Ferment 1 hour

Stretch and Fold in bowl

Seal container and refrigerate for 13 hours

Remove and preshape

Place upside down in couche

Rest 1.5 hours

Shape and place diagonally on 16 inch sheet

Cover with couche and support on both sides

Proof for 1.5 hours

Slash and bake at 450 for 30 minutes

steam at beginning

Rotate at 25 minutes

If you ask am I likely to be posting any more on baguettes, I will have to quote Winston Churchill.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

After all, I still haven't fully explored hydration or yeast vs starter or retardation time or starter plus biga or...

And just in case you are wondering if my dog story is a bit too shaggy...

have any trouble "retrieving" the bread from the table. He looks like a big one. My dog barks at me when I take bread out of the oven and put it out to cool. Apparently I have a lot of nerve. Thanks so much for your comments. -Varda

as apprentices as wieners :-) Yours looks innocent but, mine does too and she is guilty of everything - even the stuff she makes me do!

I think it is a fine baguette Varda. I think it should taste sour, even a tiny bit though, if is a sourdough - especially with the long retard. I would feel robbed! The crumb is nearly perfect except for the big holes and where the sour probably went since you can't taste the holes

DA, I didn't say that the starter doesn't provide a lot of flavor. It does. Just not sour flavor. Fie on sour baguettes! (Or should that be a pox on sour baguettes? It's hard to decide.) And the holes are definitely where the flavor is. It will just take a physicist to explain how that works. Obi Wan is NOT my apprentice. He is banned from the kitchen for all time. Ok. Maybe I'll let him in for a minute, but just so I can scratch his ears. Thanks so much for commenting. -Varda

I've decided there are a few "best baguettes". The sweet yeasted French, the sour crunchy, and the "itslian" wheaten. all perfect in their own place. Sure do like the results baguettes get from cold bulk fermentation

Josh, Here I am just hacking away in my kitchen, so your words are very encouraging. And interesting that you are saying there are multiple best baguettes. That makes me feel so much better, as I won't have to give up one thing I like for another thing I like. So helpful. Thank you. -Varda

Your dog sure looks like he got caught in the act! How old is he? Very pretty indeed. I love wymaroners (spelling is my best shot at the breed....spell check says no misspellings but I can't believe that!) almost as much as golden retrievers :-)

Loaf is beautiful. You sure have made great strides. How are you hanging in baking in the heat or is it cooler where you live? (We are in the high 80's and 90's so it's baking in the garage for me. Thank God for the Cadco!)

Hey Janet, He is 6 months old, and has just started to think things over when he wants to jump up and nip me just for fun. So now he isn't always in trouble - just sometimes. But truth in advertising, I took this picture today, and the baguette nicking incident was a few days ago. Here he was just having his little nap when I took the shot, and I think he was a bit put out. Thanks so much for your comments. The worst of the heat wave seems to be over. The house is air conditioned, so the baking goes on. I did a few bakes in my outside oven right at the peak of the heat wave and it's safe to say that I got extremely hot. -Varda

He had to wait through the whole process and you weren't considerate enough to realize that his patience only could stretch so far. He took action, it was immediate, without guilt, and evidently very satisfying from the look on his innocent looking kisser...,

Appears you're French lessons are beginning to pay off. You must have good taste now...,

is Master Obi Wan Kenobi but I really think the Master part is premature, as he is really just a Padawan learner at this point. That's just his standard innocent face. He's a trouble maker at heart and always wreaks havoc with a doggy smile. I wish I hadn't forgotten my French, but perhaps with all the baguette making it will come back to me. Thanks so much for commenting. -Varda

Varda, what a lucky doggy to get to sample your fine looking baguette! I usually find overnight retardation helps the flavor too. Looks like you are starting to get the hang of it. Nice looking crumb and crust.

You got off the plane. (Sorry to remind you.) Thank you Ian. He did get a nip at this one (the one small remaining piece somehow vanished) but after I wrote this post. The one I was referring to was a few days ago, and he ate almost all of it. He's going to get fat. -Varda

Well if there was one, you would surely win! I've just worked my way up to croissants, someday I will try making baguettes and hope they are this good looking, and tasting too.

Your bread taster may join the canine assitant union one day and graduate from taster to tester. He will add all sorts of things to your dough and can be counted upon to take the blame for almost anything. If they ever write a book about us, will they call it The Yelp?

but I don't think young Obi Wan is cut out to be a tester. He has been known to chew happily on dried toad carcass and never looked happier. Can't wait till I get my copy of "The Yelp." Very funny! -Varda

Hi Syd, We could always trade some bread - a baguette for one of your sourdoughs for instance - but we'd have to figure out how to deal with that pesky time space continuum. Thanks so much for commenting, and would love to know what you are baking nowadays. -Varda

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